Safety before style in autos

Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Foreign and domestic car companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars marketing the style, performance and economy of their vehicles. But which automaker out there will deliver safety?

Failing to tell the truth about vehicle crashes, deaths and injuries involving Fiat Chrysler vehicles will cost the car company $70 million. In 2014, automakers recalled 49 million cars and trucks in a seven-month period, the most in such a time frame. Then in the first seven months of this year, 34.5 million vehicles were recalled, the second highest number in a seven-month span.

No wonder federal regulators are getting impatient with the industry’s commitment to safety. Sleek design and good mileage are a plus, but at their core cars must be safe. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said last week that automakers must “move toward a stronger, more proactive safety culture, and when they fall short, we will continue to exercise our enforcement authority.”

Drivers can only hope.